James Wood

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Independent investigation into
A report by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman
the death of Mr James Wood,
a prisoner at HMP Hull,
on 4 September 2023
A report by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman
Third Floor, 10 South Colonnade Email: mail@ppo.gov.uk T l 020 7633 4100
Canary Wharf, London E14 4PU Web: www.ppo.gov.uk
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© Crown copyright, 2024
This report is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0. To view this licence,
visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3
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1. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman aims to make a significant contribution to
safer, fairer custody and community supervision. One of the most important ways in
which we work towards that aim is by carrying out independent investigations into
deaths, due to any cause, of prisoners, young people in detention, residents of
approved premises and detainees in immigration centres.
2. If my office is to best assist His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) in
ensuring the standard of care received by those within service remit is appropriate,
our recommendations should be focused, evidenced and viable. This is especially
the case if there is evidence of systemic failure.
3. On 15 February 1993, Mr James Wood was sentenced to life imprisonment for
murder. He died in hospital of cancer on 4 September 2023, while a prisoner at
HMP Hull. He was 52 years old. We offer our condolences to Mr Wood’s family and
friends.
4. The PPO family liaison officer wrote to Mr Wood’s next of kin to explain the
investigation and to ask if they had any matters they wanted us to consider. They
did not respond to our letter.
5. The PPO investigator investigated the non-clinical issues relating to Mr Wood’s
care. We did not find any non-clinical issues of concern.
6. NHS England commissioned an independent clinical reviewer to review Mr Wood’s
clinical care at Hull. The clinical reviewer concluded that the clinical care Mr Wood
received at Hull was of a good standard and mostly equivalent to that which he
could have expected to receive in the community. The clinical reviewer found that
on one occasion the care Mr Wood received fell below expectations, when
healthcare staff failed to refer Mr Wood for further tests when they first suspected
he may have cancer.
7. We make the following recommendation related to the clinical care Mr Wood
received:
The Head of Healthcare should ensure that clinical staff receive training on
when to make referrals under the two-week wait cancer pathway, in line with
national guidance.
8. We shared our initial report with HMPPS and the healthcare provider at Hull. They
found no factual inaccuracies. The healthcare provider provided an action plan
which is annexed to this report.
Adrian Usher March 2024
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman
Inquest
The inquest, held on 18 October 2024, concluded that Mr Wood died from natural causes.
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman 1
OFFICIAL - FOR PUBLIC RELEASE
OFFICIAL - FOR PUBLIC RELEASE
Third Floor, 10 South Colonnade Email: mail@ppo.gov.uk T l 020 7633 4100
Canary Wharf, London E14 4PU Web: www.ppo.gov.uk
OFFICIAL - FOR PUBLIC RELEASE